NORTH OF THE RIVER

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AN POST WHITEHALL DELIVERY OFFICE

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GRIFFITH AVENUE 12 SEPTEMBER 2023

A characterful postal sorting office building, remaining in its original use. It retains many of its original features, such as timber sash windows and north-light roof. Its public front presents a formal elevation to the street, contrasting with the more industrial curved sorting office roof behind, and its long cornice and recessed porch give it the feel of a colonial veranda. It is complemented by the post office exchange building on the opposite side of the courtyard, and also the neighbouring former Garda station, reflecting the development of Griffith Road as a suburb in the 1930s.

COURTLANDS OFF GRIFFITH AVENUE

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MY FIRST VISIT 12 SEPTEMBER 2023

The Dublin City Neighbourhoods Competition is an annual competition for communities, schools and businesses in the city organised by Dublin City Council. The aim of the competition is to bring about a cleaner, greener environment and to make local areas more attractive for the benefit of all city residents and visitors.

In 2015 Courtland’s Residents Association in Drumcondra were named the overall winners, receiving a prize fund of €3,200. They received the honour for the transformation of green areas in their estate, which began with the transformation of the green area at the entrance to their estate into a beautifully landscaped garden.

More recently, 2019, they won two awards – Best Residential Estate in the 151-300 house category and Best Open Green Space.

HOMEFARM ROAD IN DRUMCONDRA

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I WILL EXPLORE IN GREATER DETAIL LATER IN THE MONTH

I was in the area to photograph Griffith Avenue and the church and did not have time to explore Homefarm Road in detail but I hope to revisit later in the month.

Home Farm Road (also referred to as Homefarm Road) is a road situated in upper Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland. It is notable for being the place of origin of Home Farm F.C. It was previously named St. Mary’s Road up to the tenth house.

The road is named after the medieval home farm of the Priory of the Most Holy Trinity, which was located in Glasnevin.

Amenities include the 2,000 seater Corpus Christi Catholic Church (opened in 1941), the associated Corpus Christi School GNS and several guest houses. There is one pharmacy on the road, called Homepharm, and also a convenience store and a hairdresser called ‘New Image’. The road is served by the Numer 11 Dublin Bus route which terminates at Sandyford.

Its many famous past residents include the legendary uilleann piper and folklore collection, Seamus Ennis, who – in his later years – shared a flat there with the great Clare accordion player, Tony MacMahon. Ennis’s stay on Home Farm Road is celebrated in a poem entitled ‘Seamus Ennis in Drumcondra’, by Dermot Bolger.

SECURITY FENCING BEING INSTALLED AROUND DORSET STREET FLATS

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I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE COMPLEX WAS TO BE DEMOLISHED

Yesterday a few minutes after I walked along Capel Street there was a fire in some above-shop apartments on the street and unfortunately there was a fatality. The blaze broke out on 44 Capel Street around 4.30pm and emergency services rushed to the scene. A number of people were evacuated from the building, which is located above a hairdresser salon, and Dublin Fire Brigade were able to bring the blaze under control quickly.

Today [12 September 2023], as I passed Dorset Street Flats I noticed that the complex was in the process of being surrounded by high fencing and I was somewhat surprised. I was worried as I did not want to have a large derelict site close to where I live as there anti-social behavious has greatly increased since Covid-19 arrived in Ireland. However, after further investigation I discovered that the complex was to be redeveloped and that did surprise me. I was aware that local politicians had described the complex as being an “absolute blackspot for drug-dealing”, while gardai (police) had recommended the demolition of the block to assist in their operations against drug-dealing in the area. However, I was unaware that a decision had actually been made to redevelop the site. It should that there is an amazing amount of of ongoing redevelopment in the immediate area much of it being new hotels and student accommodation. Also there is a co-living complex more-or-less across the street from Dorset Street flats.

The site currently consists of four five-storey flat block buildings sitting in communal open spaces alongside a historic fire station building. The estate was selected as a priority regeneration project because of issues affecting the buildings such as condensation, dampness, and drainage problems as well as the opportunity to greatly improve the planning of the site (somewhat diplomatic).

The proposal includes the demolition of the four existing flat blocks and the construction of 163 new homes along with new spaces for community use. This will provide 50 additional new higher quality homes with high environmental sustainability. The improved site planning and landscaping will provide better access and a higher standard of amenity. The improved interface with surrounding areas will contribute to local regeneration and supports the Council’s strategic regeneration policies relating to the Civic Spine, Parnell Square Cultural Quarter and the Grangegorman campus.

The scheme has been designed by a multi-disciplinary design team led by Scott Tallon Walker Architect & Levitt Bernstein Architects, with project management and initial feasibility master-planning by City Architects.

The new development ranges from three to seven storeys, replacing the existing five storey blocks, responding to the scale and mass of adjacent buildings. Non-residential accommodation is located at the ground floor fronting onto Dorset Street, a major thoroughfare in the city, while the interior of the development has a more residential character. The historic Dorset Street Fire Station building, with its recently completed facade renovation, is to remain and is celebrated as a focal point in the complex.

THE WARD RIVER AND NEARBY

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SWORDS SEPTEMBER 2023

The actual river does not appear in any of my photographs as there is not much to see.

You may notice the Old Schoolhouse in some of my photographs. It was once an 18th century schoolhouse. It is a restaurant that now serves an extensive range of traditional fresh, home-produced food daily, with an wide choice of locally-sourced fish, game and meat dishes, and with vegetarian choices.

Until recently I did not know that there was a river named the Ward River and when I spoke to my mother [103 last May] I was further surprised.

My Grandmother’s maiden name was Ward and the family was originally based in Galway, my mother alctually lived with an aunt in Galway in order to attend a secondary school. My mother was a Regan . In Ireland, the name Ward is popular in counties Galway and Donegal. It comes from the old Gaelic name Mac. an Bhaird. The prefix ‘Mac’ means ‘son of’, while ‘Bhaird’ was a Gaelic word meaning ‘bard’. A bard was a poet or who would typically tell epic and heroic tales. There is also a branch in Boston and my sister in Florida has kept in contact with them.

The O’Regans of Meath were a branch of the southern Ui Neill and one of the four Tribes of Tara. Before the Anglo-Norman invasion, they were lords of south Breagh and the north of present-day County Dublin. They took a leading part in the wars against the Danes. In the year 1029, Mathghamhain Ó Riagáin, king of Breagh, captured the king of Dublin, Amhlaoibh son of Sitric, releasing him only upon payment of an enormous ransom, which included the celebrated Sword of Carlus. The O’Regans were dispossessed soon after the invasion and dispersed through Ireland.

My Grandfather was a founding member of the Ward Union Hunt. The Ward Union Hunt takes its name from the hamlet and river called the Ward in the parish of Finglas in North Dublin and a roadside Hotel at the time called The Union. There is sometimes a misconception with regard to the Ward Union Hunt that the hunt kills the stag. This is not the case and had never been so but I know that my Mother and Grandmother did not approve of hunting and to the best of my knowledge the Ward Union has been disbanded.

My Grandfather had convinced my Grandmother that the hunt was named in her honour.

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